General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Ethan Lovett Hightails Out of the Country, Christian Howard Wraps His Stint

That was quick! Christian Howard, who now looks to have literally stepped in for Nathan Dean to wrap up a few episodes for the character of Ethan Lovett made a quick exit on Friday’s July 31 episode of General Hospital.
GH viewers were stunned earlier this week on the Monday, July 27 episode when a voiceover announcer shared that Christian Howard was now playing Ethan Lovett. Next, Ethan hits the sheets with Ava Jerome, played by three-time Daytime Emmy-winner, Maura West. All seemed to be moving forward when suddenly at the end of the Thursday, July 30 episode, Ethan spots newcomer Hudson (Troy Lennon Appel) at the Metro Court Pool, and makes a quick getaway.
Then, it’s revealed after packing his bags at Lulu’s (Alexa Havins) house, that out of nowhere, Ethan received a lead on an incredible opportunity so he has to say goodbye to Lulu and run out of town and was leaving Port Charles.

Courtesy/ABC
RUNNING OUT OF TOWN
In fact, Ethan was in such a hurry, he forgot to say goodbye to Ava who had been waiting for him at the Metro Court pool. There is clearly a connection to Hudson and baby Phoebe after Ethan spotted the guy, because Ethan also glanced over to the baby and Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) at the Metro Court pool, before he ran to Lulu’s to pack his things. All of this points to Howard being an emergency recast for Dean.
It’s definitely been a week of change on-screen on the ABC soap with the news of Maxie, Spinelli, James, Georgie and Bailey all suddenly leaving Port Charles for Australia, after Spinelli got an offer he could not turn down.
That exit was written because Kirsten Storms is at this time,, and the very foreseeable future, not returning to General Hospital and is living in Tennessee. As she had documented via her Instagram stories and posts, she has been going through several personal ordeals. In addition to Storms, Ryan Paevey also exited the series earlier this month when he ended his run as Cassius Faison, while leaving the door open for his return down the line.
So, will newcomers Kelly Kruger (Serena Baldwin), Dean Geyer (Tristan Roberts) and Troy Lennon Appel fill the void of the multitude of exits? What are your theories on Christian Howard’s departure as Ethan Lovett on GH? Let us know via the comment section below.
Makes no sense to me. They knew Nathan was leaving, so why not just write the character out with this exit.
.
I agree. The recast wasn’t going to work. I didn’t see any chemistry between him and Ava.
Comes down to TPTB not planning ahead.
So, it seems that Christian was only neeeded one day on set. This seems eerily similar to when Tyler Christopher departed as Nikolas. They were just going there with Nik & Ava and a temporary, but decent temporary recast stepped in for a few episodes.
Tristian and Serena seem okay so far. Not though to judge Hudson on. At least, according to the credits, Hudson is his first name and not yet another character referred to by their last name.
I agree with your analogy. TBH, I know that ND announced a new kid, but his State of Mind episode makes me think that he’s got other issues going on, too.
Sorry, but it’s Tristan, not Tristian.
Duly noted. Appreciate the catch.
You have to be careful with the soap opera spelling police.
No offense to Christian Howard who seems a likable person; but, couldn’t they have just taped Ethan’s exit with Nathan Dean an used TV magic to insert the new guy at the Metro Court? Ethan and Ava’s hotel scenes seemed a waste since Ethan was leaving anyway.
It seems more likely that Dean finished his four-month contract and they needed more time to film beyond that contract, and he was unwilling to stay, so they recast the role to finish the storyline. Disappointing but that’s how it works sometimes.
He only filmed for 3 months. The recast only was on set for 1 day (stretched out over 3 episodes).
He appeared from April 17 to July 24. That is four months’ time. Not three. And Nathan Dean was on-set from March to June, again, for four months. 😉 Dean himself said four months and that is what he did: four months.
Try again. Do the math. His last episode was July 17. April 17 – May 17 (1), May 17 – June 17 (2), June 17 – July 17 (3). Three months.
If you count that way, yes. However, counted this way: April (1), May (2), June (3), and July (4), it clearly adds up to four months. And again, he aired beyond July 17, so even by your math, he entered into a fourth month (even if not completely).
Either way, per Dean, he was contracted for four months (per his own words), and that’s clearly what he did, and he was not going to stick around beyond that because Frank, Elizabeth, and Chris continue to be too inept and unprofessional to plan a story ahead; instead, they continue to fly by the seat of their pants.
Per SOD, Dean last aired on July 17. He was removed from the cast listing on the credits the week after. I wouldn’t quote an exact date if I didn’t do my homework.
Nothing has been released as to why Dean was unavailable for his final shoot day. Are there issues to hold Frank and the writers accountable for- absolutely – but we really don’t know the whole story here.
And as far as I’ve seen, there is nothing that says Christian Howard filmed for one-day only.
Yeah, OG Steve counted it that way because that’s how time duration is counted.
If he had only been there from April 17 until the end of April we would say he had been there approximately two weeks. He had not been there one month until May 17, two months on June 17 and three months on his last day of July 17.
Thanks for explaining this Michael. I wonder what the real story behind all this is!
I think they realized it wasn’t going to work. He was terribly miscast. So instead of another recast they just had him book town.
All these new guys remind me of Dex. Why not just bring Dex back?
Because you shouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
OK, so Nathan Dean wanted a short term contract to honor Tony Geary, and they gave it to him. Fine, although I don’t think it was much of a tribute to Tony. If Christian Howard was a temporary recast to write the character out, then why didn’t Nathan stay long enough to film those scenes? Doesn’t make sense. And with Jason telling Sonny he is done, Ethan was already on canvas to fill that void.
OK, so Nathan Dean wanted a short term contract to honor Tony Geary, and they gave it to him. Fine, although I don’t think it was much of a tribute to Tony.
It was never done “in tribute” to Anthony Geary. What Nathan Dean said was he began thinking about returning to General Hospital following Geary’s death. And it wasn’t about giving it to him, either. He did not reach out to them; they reached out to him. It was Frank Valentini and Mark Teschner who reached out to him about reprising the role (due to a planned story) and he agreed.
If Christian Howard was a temporary recast to write the character out, then why didn’t Nathan stay long enough to film those scenes? Doesn’t make sense.
Because his contracted time was done, and he was likely unwilling to stick around to finish the story. They wanted three years, then two years, and he was only willing to do four months, and that’s exactly what he did.
glad he is gone was a horrible Ethan
I really liked the other Ethan very sexy and his acting was great! Why did he leave??
His four month contract that he agreed to do was done.
I don’t personally want to see an endless litany of new characters. I’d rather GH actually show characters we know but are barely used–Brad, Diane, Terry, Yuri, for instance.
Please! No more Brad!
General Hospital
Kin Shriner Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ TV Daughter Kelly Kruger

It’s been over two-years since his last appearance on General Hospital, now fan favorite Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the casting of his grown-up TV daughter, Serena Baldwin now played by Kelly Kruger.
Kelly took over the role of Serena on-screen starting with the July 30, 2026 episode and has been ensconced in the storyline with her mother, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), in trying to win back full creative control of Deception for her.
In fact on the Monday, October 19 episode of the ABC soap opera, Serena tried to dupe Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) into signing over Michael’s (Rory Gibson) shares of the company. Jason caught on and wondered why she was doing this. She claimed she just wanted to help her mom gain creative control from Tracy (Jane Elliot) rather than full ownership, and begged Jason to keep quiet about it, which he agreed to for now.

Courtesy/ABC
WHERE IS SCOTT?
On Monday, Shriner also took to X and said, “I think Kelly Kruger is doing a great job on General Hospital, and she and Lynn Herring work well together.” That was followed by comments in his thread about the show needing to bring back Scott too.
In fact, back on August 25, Shriner also took to X with a reminder that Scott is still around and ready to come back to Port Charles, sharing, “Scotty Baldwin always fits in he just needs the right sport coat !!!!”
The last time Serena mentioned her father Scott was when Kruger made her debut and informed Lucy that her father was, “living his best life in Key West.” Meanwhile, Shriner posts on his X account continually and shared back on August 2, that it has been 49 years since he made his on-screen debut as then teenaged, Scotty Baldwin and thanked the fans for al the love and support.
So, now let us know, are you enjoying Kelly Kruger as Serena Baldwin? Do you want to see GH bring back Scott Baldwin into the story, so Serena has both her parents in Port Charles? Do you like the potential of Jason and Serena pairing? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Jason Seeks Answers For Sonny, Drew Gloats, and Chase is in for a Battle

This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, getting to the bottom of truth is paramount for several characters, but who will continue to lie and who might break?
In the latest video spoilers for the week of October 19-23, Sonny (Maurice Benard) needs to prove that he is innocent in orchestrating the prison beatdown of Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner). His girlfriend, ADA Justine Turner (Nazneen Contractor), wants to seemingly turn him to as she is seen saying, “I won’t give up until Sonny is behind bars,” to none other than Drew (Cameron Mathison)!
Meanwhile, it looks like Sonny has pulled Jason back in to to help him clear his name telling him to, “Find out whatever you can.” Later, we see Jason (Steve Burton) posing the question to someone, “Did you frame Sonny for it?” Did he go to Pentonville to confront Sully?

Photo: ABC
Elsewhere, Chase (Josh Swickard) and Monet (Blythe Howard) get set to dissolve Chase’s marriage to Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) who now has lawyered up with Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst). Monet tells Chase, “We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.” Chase fires back ,“I don’t want a battle!” Is the battle over baby Phoebe, or a down and dirty fight just to get a divorce?
Then, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) is reeling with happiness in the best possible way, after apparently sharing four kisses with mysterious stranger Jude (Wil Traval) at the Brown Dog Bar. Britt tells Lucas (Van Hansis) all about her evening. But, who is Jude and did he target Britt, or is he truly enamored with her? Stay tuned.
SPOILERS
Now below, take a look at the official GH spoilers for the week of October 19-23.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19
Britt makes an intriguing deal. Trina is unsettled. Anna checks in on Sonny. Carly gets the third degree from Lucas. Jason calls out Serena.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20
Carly puts her heart on the line. Alexis delivers shocking news to Valentin. Sonny has a warning for Jason. Justine makes Drew an offer. Portia is wary of Monet.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Anna seeks out Valentin. Britt’s attitude raises eyebrows. Molly seeks Alexis’s advice. Jason makes an offer to Lucy. Tracy and Cody catch up.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Britt has juicy gossip for Lucas. Chase is thrown for a loop. Emma puts on her detective hat. Michael and Jordan await medical news. Ava is put on the spot.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
Ava pitches a dangerous plan to Drew. Jason calls out Josslyn. Ric and Monet go toe to toe. Lulu is discouraged. Sonny dangles a tantalizing deal.
Take a look at the latest GH promo, “Worst Case Scenario” below.
Now weigh-in: Will Jason figure out that Drew and Ava were behind framing Sonny? Do you want Chase to get parental rights to baby Phoebe? Do you like the attraction between Britt and Jude, or is something more nefarious going on with the guy? Let us know in the comment section below.
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Talks On Where Joe Fitzpatrick is Headed and Soap Opera Shirtless Scenes

It had become abundantly clear that roomies Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) and PCPD detective Joe Fitzpatrick (Jonathan Bennett) seem destined towards a romance on General Hospital.
In fact, to get Lucas all hot and bothered (although he does fully let on), during the Friday, October 16 episode, the good doctor helps Joe pick out something less stuffy to wear to a bar to meet people.
However, the moment is met with Joe taking off his shirt in front of Lucas and doing a quick change from sport coat and button down shirt to a more relaxed casual button down shirt. In fact, the ABC soap opera even called out the moment as their clip of the day (see below).

Courtesy/ABC
MAJOR STORY TEASE FOR JOE
Bennett spoke with OUT in a new feature about what may be on the horizon for the by-the-book Joe and the moral Lucas, and how he learned that once the producers and writers on a soap script in a shirtless scene, if it goes over well, said actor, can expect many more in the months to come!
“I’m so excited for the audience to see where my character goes on General Hospital. It’s going to be monumental and I think people are going to love it,” teased Bennett. “I was shirtless in an episode and so petrified to shoot it,” he added. “I wanted to look my best and feel good. I really worked hard to get my body to a good place and I did it.”
STAYING CAMERA READY
However as Jonathan points out, now he is finding himself half-naked in upcoming scenes as officer Joe! “I think I shot myself in the foot! Now that I did it once and it turned out well, every few weeks I read a script and I’m coming out of the shower, changing my shirt, or in the bathtub,” revealed Jonathan.
So, how does he keep camera ready? “I’m in the gym more, I have a better diet,” pointed out Bennett. “You have to stay healthy if you’re going to be shirtless every few weeks! I’m gay, an only child, and an actor. Of course I love the attention!”
While Bennett’s Port Charles story is going to reveal itself in the coming months, you can also see Jonathan back as the host of The Food Network’s Halloween Wars 16th season which concludes on Sunday, October 25.
Now below. check out the scene in question from Friday’s GH entitled, “Lose the Shirt.”
Weigh-in: What do you think will be “monumental” that Jonathan has teased that viewers will find out about Joe in the coming weeks? Are you feeling the on-screen chemistry between Joe and Lucas? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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